"Americans are always very parochial – unless it is the Super Bowl or 'Born in the USA,' they don't care for it.” – Frank Williams, Formula One team owner, on June 19, 2003

From a general interest perspective, Williams’ comment is off base (although not totally, but that’s an issue for another writer on another website to take up).

From an auto racing perspective, Williams’ comment is spot-on. For instance, in America, rally racing maintains a near, if not completely, invisible profile. It is for this reason that Rally Championship will not receive due attention from either the game-buying public or the game-previewing/-reviewing media.

Until now, that is.

ImpressionsWhat Rally Championship lacks in fancy, real-life personalities, it makes up in fancy, real-life cars. Players may choose from among 25 rally cars, among which are models from Ford, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Renault, and Subaru.

As is the case – more often than not – with real-life cars, when one of the game’s cars takes abuse, the car suffers more than mere superficial damage. Each time that you bang up the front end, for example, you put the radiator at risk. Cripple the radiator, and you’ll blow the engine. No engine? No go. The game, therefore, places an emphasis on skill development.

As is also the case with real-life cars, the game’s cars may be tweaked to fit certain situations. When you compete in the Arctic Rally, for example, you’ll be plowing through snow-filled stage after snow-filled stage. You don’t need to put on snow tires, but if all of your competitors use them, then shouldn’t you?

It’s within these realistic cars that one, two, three, or fours players will experience the equally realistic rallies. Over a span of 33 stages, players will race in every environment imaginable.

Seriously.

If you can picture a car in a particular type of scenario, then – to borrow the intellectual property of Electronic Arts – it’s in the game.

Word on the StreetAlthough not confirmed, Rally Championship will likely contain multiple modes of gameplay, such as Arcade and Career. Actually, one should hope that the game contains the various modes; they’re standard fare for racing titles.

From the Horse’s MouthRace in the snowy Arctic terrains of Lapland, Finland; zoom along the banks of the Grand Canyon in Rally USA; enjoy an English sunset from one of the three prestigious British Rally Championship tracks of Scotland, Wales or the Manx (Isle of Man). And if that’s not enough of a challenge, try the 6 additional Rally Africa stages set amongst the great dirt roads of Africa.

6 different rallies

33 hardcore stages

4 separate regions of the world

25 cars

Up to 4 players

ConclusionRally Championship faces an uphill battle in the retail realm. After all, the title’s largest “flaw” is that it emphasizes a sport that, frankly, is not familiar to a good many people.

This state of affairs is unfortunate, for the title looks to be a game that would appeal to gamers seeking a realistic racing experience.